-LRB- CNN -RRB- When photographer Fabio Bucciarelli first visited South Sudan , he found a nation filled with hope . He found citizens worn out by decades of war -- but looking forward to an independent , peaceful future .

That was two years ago , after the world 's youngest country split from its northern nemesis , Sudan .

`` I remember the look on people 's faces , '' Bucciarelli said . `` Tired but happy , hopeful for a better future after a past full of pain and war . ''

His return in February was anything but .

This time , Bucciarelli found a nation on the brink of an abyss . Instead of jubilant faces of hope , he saw defeated faces haunted by a return of ghosts of past wars .

Months of ethnic violence had left thousands dead , 1.5 million people displaced and a looming famine , according to the United Nations .

Bucciarelli found despair cramped in tent camps , growing sexual violence and the recruitment of child soldiers .

He described the violence in South Sudan as an `` invisible '' conflict .

`` It represents one of the longest and most forgotten African wars , '' he said . `` Its apparent stillness leads to hear about it less and less . Given the tragic consequences and repercussions on the population , I find it essential to bring it to light . ''

His goal , he said , is to tell the stories of people rendered powerless by wars , provide objective images and shed light on human rights issues .

`` It 's hard to find front-line war photography of the kind we 've seen in Libya or Syria , '' Bucciarelli said . `` The images in South Sudan are different . They describe visually the effect of the impending war , lending you a view of the civilian and military populations and providing a glimpse of life inside a murky , not clearly defined conflict . ''

The latest conflict erupted in December last year , when President Salva Kiir accused his fired deputy , Riek Machar , of an attempted coup . Since then , militia loyal to both have battled each other and targeted civilians from rival tribes .

The conflict has wiped out entire neighborhoods and transformed into a full-blown war between two large tribes , the Nuer and the Dinka . Machar belongs to the Nuer community , while the President is a Dinka .

Bucciarelli 's pictures provide a rare window into a civilian population under siege .

`` South Sudan 's war represents one of the longest and most forgotten African conflicts , '' he said . `` Its tragic consequences are quietly fading away from the headlines , making these pictures even more crucial . ''

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South Sudan split from Sudan in 2011 as part of a peace deal that ended decades of war in Africa 's largest nation . That war left 2 million people dead and ended with the peace agreement that included an independence referendum for the south .

The recent clashes have been a major setback for a country so desperate for a new start .

Instead of relishing its independence , residents of areas such as Bentiu , Bor , Nyang and Mingkaman are struggling to survive as communities turn against one another .

Concerned neighboring nations have stepped in and urged warring parties to sign ceasefire deals , but the weapons have not gone quiet .

Frantic international pleas for peace have gone unheeded .

Fabio Bucciarelli is an Italian photographer whose work focuses on conflict and war . You can follow him on Twitter .

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Two years ago , the world 's youngest country split from its northern nemesis , Sudan

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But during a recent visit , photographer Fabio Bucciarelli found ethnic violence raging